


Better than Before

by Leahelisabeth (fortheloveofcamelot)



Series: Twinyards Appreciation Week [9]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Existential Crisis, Fatherhood, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 16:37:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16538270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortheloveofcamelot/pseuds/Leahelisabeth
Summary: There was a pounding at the door.  Neil sat up from where he was curled up into Andrew’s side and stretched, enjoying the way Andrew’s eyes followed him as he moved.“Stay there,” Neil said.  “It’s probably nothing.  Keep my spot warm for me.”But it wasn’t nothing.  Aaron stood there outside the door, fist still raised to knock, eyes red and cheeks wet.Aaron's freaking out and he winds up in Andrew and Neil's home.





	Better than Before

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day 3 of twinyards appreciation week: self care.

There was a pounding at the door. Neil sat up from where he was curled up into Andrew’s side and stretched, enjoying the way Andrew’s eyes followed him as he moved.

“Stay there,” Neil said. “It’s probably nothing. Keep my spot warm for me.”

But it wasn’t nothing. Aaron stood there outside the door, fist still raised to knock, eyes red and cheeks wet.

“In the living room,” Neil said, resigning himself to an evening without cuddles. He stopped in the kitchen and put the kettle on. He poured heavy cream and five heaping tablespoons of hot chocolate powder in one mug and honey with peppermint and chamomile tea in the other two. By the time he walked back into the living room, Aaron was sprawled out on his back on the floor, Sir curled up on his chest and King purring away and draped over his feet. Neil set one of the mugs of tea beside Aaron’s head and handed Andrew the cup of hot chocolate.

“Do you want me to leave you alone?” Neil asked.

Aaron waved his hand and grunted from the floor and Andrew jerked his head at the couch so Neil grabbed his own cup of tea and slotted himself back into Andrew’s side. He sighed at the warmth and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the silence and the warmth and the taste of the tea.

After a while, Andrew went back to his book. Neil drowsed on his shoulder. The only sounds in the room were the turning of pages and the purring of cats.

Aaron sipped his tea but mostly just lay back getting covered in cat fur. After an hour or so, Aaron propped himself up on one elbow to face them. Andrew put the bookmark in his book and set it on the end table.

“Kate’s pregnant,” Aaron said finally.

“And you want to know how it happened?” Andrew smirked.

“I know how it...Ugh,” Aaron lay back on the floor. “What am I gonna do?”

“Are you asking me for advice?” Andrew asked.

“Yes...no...I don’t know. How the fuck am I supposed to be a father?” Aaron draped his arm over his face. Sir took that as an invitation to move up and sprawl out on Aaron’s face. Aaron bore it for a moment before he pushed the cat away and started spitting cat fur.

“Fuck if I know,” Andrew said. “I don’t have the first clue what it’s like to have one. Most of the foster dads left the work to the women, only got involved if one of us needed a beating. Sure as fuck didn’t know my sperm donor, same as you. And then there’s Luther…”

“So you’re telling me it’s hopeless?” Aaron asked.

“Fuck no,” Andrew said. “I’m telling you that no matter how shit you are as a father, you can only be better than what we had.”

“I don’t wanna just...coast in on the merit of being better than deadbeats and abusers. I wanna be good, great even. I wanna be the best fucking father but I don’t even know what that looks like,” Aaron looked wildly at the two of them.

Neil couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding. He gathered up the mugs in the room and went to make more hot drinks.

By the time he got back, fresh mugs in hand, the two brothers were sitting on the floor cross-legged and facing each other. Aaron was holding the small bottle of black nail polish that Allison had given Neil for his last birthday and was painstakingly painting Andrew fingernails.

“What are you doing?” Neil asked.

“Practicing,” Andrew said.

“Isn’t it going to be a while before anything like that will be necessary,” Neil asked, amused.

“Gotta start somewhere,” Aaron said, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated.

Neil rolled his eyes but wasn’t going to argue. He sat down on the couch, stealing the warmth from Andrew’s seat. And he watched as Aaron finished Andrew’s nails and handed his brother the bottle so Andrew could return the favour. His eyes started drooping as Aaron started on Andrew’s toes. They started talking again in low voices but Neil was drifting off and couldn’t make sense of the words. Then the lights dimmed, a warm blanket was pulled up to his chin and a hand rested on his shoulder.

“You going to bed?” Neil asked sleepily.

“I’m going to take Aaron home,” Andrew said. “Want me to wake you up when I get back?”

“Yeah,” Neil nodded. “Wanna go to bed with you.”

“Junkie,” Andrew snorted.

“He going to be okay?” Neil asked.

“Yeah,” Andrew said. “He’ll be fine. He cares a lot. And that makes a difference.”

“I think you’re gonna be a great uncle,” Neil whispered.

Andrew’s grip tightened. “Nobody asked you,” he said.


End file.
